PR stunts were once limited to brands willing to risk their reputation when slightly overstepping the boundaries and for this reason they easily grabbed our attention. After a while we all clicked onto these so called “gimmicks” and began to love their humorous tactics.

Now most brands are willing to be a bit cheekier when it comes to getting our attention and in the process, begin to build their brand personality. This makes it fun for us in the industry of ‘GETTING ATTENTION’ because we get to be creative!

We have put together some of our favourite PR stunts that got us talking:

1. Neon male strips for Contrex Mineral Water

Hot pink exercise bikes line a crowded area, sitting patiently awaiting the curious. In Nestle’s attempt to promote their Contrex Mineral Water to the women of France, they did the unthinkable and stuck a neon-lit male stripper to a large building in a crowded location. With Contrex Mineral Water strategically placed next to each bike, what better way is there to grab the attention of passing females than to invite to them to undress the brightly lit toned male.

If you think outdoor promotion is the best way to promote a brand, think again. In a recent stunt facilitated by Katie Price (aka Jordan), Twitter proved to be a stunt domain in hiding. International brand, Snickers, asked Price to post intelligent comments on her largely followed Twitter account for their latest campaign. After creating mass confusion people started to suggest her account had been hacked, Price revealed what had come over her, “You’re not you when you’re hungry”.

3. Barbie Tram stops Melbourne

So its Barbie’s 80th Anniversary, how do I know this? Two words, Barbie Tram! Mattel has just proved that even though their Barbies are heading to retirement, their brand strategies are not. Call it a facelift or just plain good PR, but Barbie has managed to burst through the competitive toy world and stop fellow Melbournians in their tracks, when the number 96 Barbie closet tram was unveiled in March.

4. Ikea ‘sleepers’ on public transport

Sleeping on public transport has long been considered plain embarrassing and awkward (if you break out in snores). To shock the system, Ikea bounced back with a unique creative strategy. In a bid to win back support and get their ever expanding brand name on the lips of every Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne commuter, Ikea took their sleepyheads to the heart of each city – public transport.

5. Huge Angry Birds stunt at Seattle’s Space Needle

When the Angry Birds Apple App sprung into the spotlight not long ago, it quickly turned into a smart-phone users’ ultimate leisure addiction. Fast forward a year and it was inevitable that the hype would soon die down. In a bid to regain strength in the market and promote the new and improved version, Angry Birds Space, Angry Birds positioned a very large 35-foot Angry Bird on Seattle’s 605-foot tall Space Needle.

Yes these tactics created hype, yes they created interest, and yes they proved to be an effective PR tactic – which is why we loved them!